Knitting machine



July 11, 1933. HOLMES 1,917,763

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 11, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet l lnvenf b 6 m, MIW+ M July 11', 1933. H. H. HOLMES 1,917,763

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 11, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 11, 1933. HOLMES 1,917,763

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 11, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 3- i ig-7+ J /l I tr L I 1/ v U .IWH v I H. H. HOLMES 1,917,763

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 11, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 [n 1/6 7110 r- 2 24 all 6,6,

Patented July 11, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HENRY HAROLD HOLMES, OF LEICESTER, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR T WILDT AND COM- PANY LIMITED, OF LEICESTER, ENGLAND, A BRITISH COMPANY KNITTING MACHINE Application filed December 11, 193Q, Serial No. 501,723, and in Great Britain December 14, 1929.

This invention consists in improvements in or relating to knitting machines, and has for its object to provide an improved yarnfeeding means for circular knitting machines.

While it has particular application to machines in which vertical Wale-threads are fed to the needles, it is not limited to this particular application. When, however, it is so applied it serves to overcome a difficulty hitherto experienced in introducing alternative or additional yarns to the needles without stopping the machine. The presence of the Wale-threads, even when extending in their idle position inside the needle-circle, prevents an additional yarn-feeder such, for instance, as a splicing yarn-feeder, from being moved towards the needles from the interior of the needle-circle as is customary in some forms of feeding mechanism. Moreover, they prevent the more usual method of supplying yarns from outside the needle-circle, in which case the yarn-feeder is generally moved right across the needle-circle to bring the new yarn into the hook of the needle by which it is to be first taken. The present invention obviates these difiiculties in a simple and effective manner.

According to the present invention, yarnfeeding means comprises in combination one or more feeders each adjustable from an idle position wherein the yarn (the free end of which will be held by a trap er) is held by the delivery eye of the feedbr outside the needle-circle and clear of the needles, to a position closer to the needle-circle, and a yarn-projector movable towards and away from the needles, which, when it is moved towards the-needles, will engage a newlyintroduced yarn at a position between the trapper and the feeder that has thus introduced the yarn and will bring the yarn into a position to be taken by the needles.

'lhe yarn-feeders when they are moved closer to the needle-circle may be moved to a position in which they are above the tops of the needles, or even slightly within the needle-circle; but whatever may be this adjustment of the yarn-feeder the yarn-projector will serve positively to position the yarn sothat it will be readily taken by the needles.

In a modified form of the invention, a yarn-feeder and a yarn-trapper therefor and a yarn-projector are disposed at a position above another yarn-feeder or feeders. The loyyenone may, for instance, be a feeder for aground-thread, while the upper one may serve to introduce a splicing thread. A yarnfeeder is to be considered as being above another when it is farther away from the base of the. needle considered in the lengthwise direction of the latter.

Preferably, a ledge or platform is provided at a position above the relatively lower feeder or feeders and the trapper serves to grip the yarn supplied by the top feeder against the ledge or platform. The latter may be formed in the latch-ring or may be present as a separate member.

In an alternative construction of the invention, there may be a separate yarn-pro- JGCtOI allocated to each yarn-feeder.

The yarn-projector Within the scope of the present invention may be in the form of a finger or of any other shaped member which can be moved into and out from engagement with the yarn for the purpose above specified.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, one preferred example as applied to a circular machine will now be described with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a perspective view of the parts of the feeding mechanism pertinent to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan of the parts shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the trapper and cutter for the grouml-thread or I like yarns, looking in the direction of the arrow 3 in Figure 2; I

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the yarnprojector and adjacent parts of the mechanism, looking also in the general direction of the arrow 3;

Figure 5 is a section on the line 55 of Figure 4;

F igure 6 is a detailed view of the catch for the splicing yarn-feeder looking from to show more clearly their operation.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring first of all to Figures 8 and 9.

a brief description will first be given of the general operation of the mechanism and will be followed by a description of the specific construction illustrated in the other figures of the drawings.

Three interchangeable ground yarn-feeders 10, 11 and 12' are shown. and these are mov-. able in a direction substantially at right angles towards and away from the needles and when feeding a yarn to the needles each yarnfeeder will enter an aperture 13 in the usual latch-ring 14. A yarn-feeder for a splicing yarn is shown at 15 and this is projectable through a gap 16 at the upper edge of the latch-ring. The gap itself may afford a ledge or platform to co-operate with a trapper-arm 17 or, alternatively, an additional platform 18 may be provided which projects into the gap 16. The yarn-trapper 17 is in the form of a finger or lever pivoted at 19 in a-fixed bracket 20 and is arranged to swing upwardly and downwardly away from and on to the platform 18.

For the yarn-feeder 15 there is also a yarnprojector 21 which, in this case, is movable in company with the feeder15. For the yarn-feeders 10, 11 and 12 there is a yarnprojector 22 which is formed separately from, and movable independently of, the yarn-feeders. In addition to the yarn-projector there is a fixed guide-finger 23. A trapper and cutter for the yarn-feeders 10, 11 and 12 is indicated as composed of a plate 24, jaws 25 and 26 respectively which can be raised from, or lowered towards, the plate 2 1 and light strip springs 27. Yarns as indicated at 28 from the yarn-feeders 11 and 12 which are, in Figure 8, presumed to be idle, extend from those yarn-feeders to be held under the springs 27 and between the jaw 25 and the plate 24 so that they are free of the needles. They are also beneath the guide 23 and are held by it out of the path of the projector 22.

The cam mechanism is such that when the splicing yarn is to be introduced the needles will be raised somewhat in the manner indicated in Figure 8, and the yarn-feeder 15 with its associated projector 21 will be moved from an idle position into the active position shown in Figure 8. In this position the yarn-projector 21 moves sufficiently forward to press a portion of the bight of the yarn extending between the feeder 15 and the trapper-arm 17 under a descending needle and the position at which the projector crosses the needle-circle is such that the needle will have been drawn downwardly by a needleopcrating cam sufiiciently rapidly to avoid fouling the projector 21.

In Figure 8 the ground-thread-feeder 10 is shown as supplying its yarns to the needles. \Vhen it is desired to introduce another yarn, for example, to replace the yarn that is being fed from the feeder 10, another feeder is brought into an active position and this is represented at Figure 9 where the feeder 11 has been not only moved nearer to the needlecircle but has been slightly raised so that its feeding eye is above the tops of the needles:

Vhen the feeder has been brought into the feeding position the yarn will be drawn by it. from engagement beneath the fixed guide 23 and the projector 22 will be moved forwardly so as to press the yarn into the hook of a descending needle.

In Figure 8 the needle that is about to take the splicing yarn is indicated by the reference numeral 29, and in Figure 9 the needle which is about to take the newly-introduced yarn is indicated by the reference numeral 30.

It will be understood, therefore, that when either of the yarn-projectors is moved to place the yarns in the needle-hooks those portions of the projectors that engage the yarns are moved to cross over the needle-circle to the inner side thereof at a position at which the needles are depressed sufiiciently by a stitch-cam to avoid fouling the projectors.

In the case when the'invention is applied to a machine having Vertical Wale-threads the yarn-engaging end of each yarn-projector is moved sufiiciently far across the needle-circle to ensure that the yarn will be taken by the needles but not so far as to come in contact with the Wale-threads when the latter are in their idle positions.

This is indicated in Figures 4 and 5 in which a yarn-projector 22, shown in dotted lines in its most advanced position, has crossed the circle of needles 122 but has not been moved sufficiently far across that circle to come into contact with a Wale-thread 123 supplied from a Wale-thread feeder 124 of known general type and operation.

Turning now to Figures 1 to 7, a detailed example of one form of the invention will be described employing the same references as have been employed in connection with Figures 8 and 9, so far as they are applicable. The interchangeable yarn-feeders 10, 11 and 12 are slidingly mounted in an inclined guide 31. The guide 31 consists of a channel wide enough to receive the three yarn-feeders 10, 11 and 12 side by side, and in order to ensure a steady guiding of each of them each yarnfeeder is grooved on one side, and on its other side has a rib, such as 32, which enters the corresponding groove in the adjacent yarn-feeder. The outermost feeders engage fixed bracket 37,

. In order to actuate the respectively with a rib and a groove on the walls of the guide 31.

yarn-feeders, a projection extends upwardly from the tail of each feeder and is engaged with a jaw at the end of an arm 34 of a bellcrank 34, 35. There will be three bellcranks one for each yarnfeeder, mounted coaxially on a pivot 36 in a and it will be understood that the heights of the projections 33 correspond to the heights of the arms 34 so that each bellcrank actuates only its own yarnfeeder. A notch 38 at the tail end of each yarn-feeder can, projected fully towards the needle-circle, by actuation of the appropriate bellcrank, be engaged by the nose of a catch 39. There will be three such catches, one for each yarnfeeder, and the nose of each is held pressed towards its yarn-feeder by means of a spring 40 so that immediately a feeder has been projected sufiiciently forward the nose will enter the notch 38 to hold the yarn-feeder projected. Each bellcrank 34, 35 is pulled by a spring 4] anchored atone end to a fixed bracket 42 and at the other end to a tailpiece 43 extending in line with the arm 34. The effect of a spring 41 is normally to tend to move its bellcrank so that the arm 34 retracts the associated yarn-feeder. Thus, when the catch 39 is tripped, the yarn-feeder will be drawn outwardly away from the needle-circle and thereby to withdraw the yarn from the feeding position well back from the needles.

The yarn-projector 22 is slidingly mounted in a grooved side wall of the guide or bracket 31 so that it is movable towards and away from the needles in a substantially radial direction. It is held in the groove by means of a guard-plate 44 and above it slides a control abutment 45 having a downwardly-projecting tail 46. From the abutment 45 projects a lateral pin 47 which engages in a slot 48in a swinging lever 49 pivoted at 50, and normally pulled rearwardly by means of a spring 51. The free end of the lever 50 has another slot 52 which is engaged by a pin 53 extending outwardly from the yarnprojector 22 so that as the abutment 45 is moved inwardly or outwardly the projector will also be moved inwardly or outwardly, butithrough a greater distance owing to the mo iement-magnifying effect of the swinging lever 49.

It will be understood, therefore, that by means of external abutments, not shown, but operated in known manner from any preferred form of pattern-controlmechanism (as for example abutments of the type described in priorPatent No.1,669,296),theyarn-guides can be moved into a feeding position or with drawn therefrom and the yarn-projector can be movedto engage a newly-introduced yarn at the desired times. Thus, assuming that when the latter has been a yarn-feeder 10 has been in operation and it is desired to change the yarn for that supplied by the feeder 11, an external abutment will first engage the arm 35 of the bellcrank associated with the wardly alongside the feeder 10, as shown in Figure 2. Immediately following this projection of the yarn-feeder 11, the abutment (or another, if preferred) will engage the tail 46 of the sliding abutment'45 to move the yarn-projector 22 forwardly, that is to say, from the full-line positions shown in Figures 2 and 4, to the dotted line position, thus passing the yarn, which up to that moment extended between the feeder and the trapper, positively into the hook of a descending needle shown at 122 in Figs. 4 and 5. As soon as the yarn has been taken by the required number of needles the feeder 10 can be retracted by another abutment which engages the outer end of the pivoted catch 39 to disengage the nose of that catch from the notch 38 of the yarn-feeder 10. The latter then moves rearwardly to the idle position and when this happens the trapper will have feeder 11 to move it foropened to receive the yarn, thus withdrawn and to release the newly-introduced yarn. The trapper Will then quickly close. to trap and cut the withdrawn yarn.

The trapper and cutter comprises a fitting which can be attached by means of screws 54 and comprises a plate 24, a light strip spring 27, and two side jaws 25 and 26 whereof the latter are interconnected by a yoke 55 so as to move simultaneously. The two jaws are both pivoted on a pin'56 so that pressure on the top of the yoke-piece 55 will raise both jaws above and clear of the plate 24. This pressure is imparted by the sloping face 57 of a slider 58, the tail portion 59 of which is in the path of an external abutment which may be the same as that which operates on the bellcrank arms 35 and the tailpiece 46 of the slider 45, or it may be another abutment controlled in well known manner from a pattern-chain or equivalent patternc ontrol mechanism. The slider 58 is normally held in its retracted or outward position by means of a spring 60 anchored at one end to the slider, and at the other to a fixed pin 61 secured in a bracket 62 which forms a guide wherein the slider 58 can move.

- The jaw 25 acts as a means to hold the yarn between it and the plate 24, whereas the jaw 26 serves as a cutter knife to sever the trapped yarn. The distance between the trapper and the projector 22 is made extremely small so that the loose end of yarn which will extend from the needle that first takes the yarn will always remain on one side of the fibre (the inner side of the finished fabric) and will only be a very short length. The same remarks apply to the relative positions of the feeder 15 and projector 21 for the splicing yarn.

It will be seen that in the specific example the splicing yarn feeder is in the form of a slider guided in a slot in a fixed bracket 63 and has at its'outer end a tail-piece 64 to be engaged by an external and adjustable abutment that is controlled by a pattern-chain or equivalent mechanism. Normally, the splicing yarn feeder is spring-urged into its feeding position by means of a coiled spring 65 anchored at one end at 66 on the bracket 63 and at the other end to a projection 67 fastened to the slider near the tail-piece 64. In

order to actuate the splicing yarn feeder there is a pivoted lever 68 (Figures 5, 6 and 7) having a slot 69 at its upper end to engage a pin 70 extending laterally from the yarn-feeder 15 and pivoted intermediate its two ends at 71 in a relatively fixed part. The lower end of the lever 68 terminates in an abutment 72 which can be engaged by a cam 73 attached to a stationary part of the machine, e. g. the sinker ring. After the cam 7 3 has engaged the abutment 72 to swing the lever 68 so as to withdraw the yarn-feeder 15 the latter can be held withdrawn by means of a pivoted arm 74 swinging about a pivot 75 and urged by a spring 76 so as to engage behind a shoulder 77 on the lever 68. In order to re-insert the feeder 15 to its feeding position it is only necessary for an external and adjustable abutment controlled from the pattern mechanism to trip the catch-lever 74 to allow the spring 65 to assert itself and to draw the feeder 15.into the feeding position. The yarn-projector 21 is riveted or otherwise secured near the nose of the feeder 15 in fixed relation to it. 7

The trapper for the splicing yarn is shown as a base-plate 18 above which the yarnfeeder slides and on to which the trapper 17 can press. The bracket 20 carrying the trapper mechanism is pivotally mounted by means of a screw 177 on a main bracket 78 which carries all the parts above described so that the trapper mechanism can be swung out from the position shown in Figure 1 to allow the latch-ring to be swung upwardly,

as shown in Figure 1, or to be swung down into its operative position, as shown in Figure 2. if it were not for the pivotal movement permissible in the trapper mechanism about the screw 77 it would be impossible to swing the latch-ring because it would foul the trapper mechanism, as can be clearly seen from an examination of Figure 2.

Two means are provided for actuating the trapper 17, one is by means of a lever 79 pivoted at 80 in a pillar 81 extending from a part'of the bracket 31. The lever 79 has a tail 82 for engagement wit-h an adjustable abutment operated from the pattern mechanism. The forward end of the lever 79 engages beneath the trapper 17 so that when the tail end 82 is pressed inwardly the lever 79 will be raised in order to lift the trapper.

Alternatively, there is an arm 82 secured to the lever 68 which, when the latter is swung to withdraw the feeder 15, will engage beneath an abutment 83 projecting downwardly from the trapper 17. The abutment 83 is hinged to the trapper so that on the return movement of the lever 68 the arm 82 can pass into the position shown in Figure 7 by swinging the abutment without raising the trapper.

Thus, it will be understood that assuming that the splicing yarn feeder is held in its inoperative position by means of the catchlevcr 74, and it is desired to introduce the splicing yarn, an abutment will be moved to trip the catch-lever 74 and by the time that the splicing yarn has been taken by a suilicient number of needles the same or another abutment will engage the tail 82 to lift the trapper to free the yarn. In order to withdraw the splicing yarn the cam 73 is brought into engagement with the abutment 72 to swing the lever 68 so as to withdraw the yarn-feeder, and in so doing the trapper 17 will be raisedby means of the arm 82 momentarily to permit the yarn to enter between the trapper and the plate 18 and immediately the yarn has thus entered into a position to be trapped the lever 82 will move clear of the abutment 83 and the trapper will drop.

The invention so far as it applies to a splicing yarn is particularly useful in introducing a high-splicing yarn in a hose machine in which vertical Wale-threads are knitted by the needles in addition to a ground-thread or threads. Specificially, the invention is applicable to the mechanism described in prior British Patent No. 327,958, in which there is a Wale-thread for every needle. It is also applicable to the machines described in British Patents Nos. 328,026, 327,987 and 327,988, but is not limited to these particular applications.

In Figure 9, it should be remarked that the splicing yarn feeder 15 and its projector 21 are shown as having ust been moved out from their operative posit on and the trapper-arm is shown as raised. This will be innnediately followed by lowering the trapper-arm to trap the yarn and in so doing the yarn will be severed by the continued rotation of the machine which causes an increasing strain to be put upon the yarn extending from the knitting point to the trapper, this being assisted by the fact that the splicing yarn is slightly bent over the plate 18 at the position at which it would be clamped by the trapper 17 The separation of the splicing feeder and the other yarn-feeders in the lengthwise direction of the needles is particularly advantageous for splicing, but this advantage is not limited only to splicing as other feeders may be employed in a similar position to that of the splicing yarn feeder 15 in addition to that feeder, or in place of it. It is convenient to provide each yarn-feeder, which will be at a higher level, with its own projector, whereas the feeders at the lower level need only be provided with a projector and a trapper common to them all.

I claim.

1. A knitting machine, yarn-feeding means comprising a plurality of yarn feed eyes and a yarn-trapper associated with at least one of them, the said yarn-trapper and its associated feed eye being disposed at a position above the feed eye of another yarn-feeder.

2. A knitting machine, yarn-feeding means comprising a plurality of yarn feed eyes and a yarn-trapper associated with at least one of them, the said yarntrapper and its associated feed eye being disposed at a position above the feed eye of another yarn-feeder, and a ledge or platform cooperating with the yarn-trapper and situated also above the said other yarn-feeder.

3. A knitting machine, yarn-feeding means comprising a latch-ring having in its two apertures one above the other, yarn-feeders presented in the two apertures and a yarntrapper associated with at least one of them, whereof the yarn-feeder presented in the upper aperture is a splicing yarn-feeder.

4. For a knitting machine, yarn-feeding means comprising a latch ring having in it two apertures one above the other. yarnfeeders presented in the two apertures and a yarn-trapper and a yarn-projector associated with the feeders presented to one at least of the apertures.

5. For a knitting machine, yarn-feeding means comprising in combination a plurality of feeders at one level, a yarn-trapper associated with those feeders, and at another level a splicing yarn-feeder, a yarn-projector additional to the feeder and a yarn-trapper therefor.

6. For a knitting machine, yarn-feeding means comprising in combination a plurality of feeders atone level, a yarn-trapper associated with those feeders, and at a higher level a splicing yarn-feeder, a yarn-projector additional to the feeder and a yarn-trapper therefor.

7. For a knitting machine, yarn-feeding means comprising in combination a plurality of feeders at one level, a yarn-trapper and a yarnprojector associated with those feeders, and at another level a splicing yarn-feeder, a yarn-projector additional to the feeder and a yarn-trapper therefor.

8. For a knitting machine, yarn-feeding means comprising in combination a plurality of yarn-feeders each movable towards and away from a feeding position and each slidingly engaged by interfitting portions with a neighboring feeder.

9. For a knitting machine, the combination of a bed of needles, a yarn-trapper, a plurality of yarn-feeders each movable towards and away from a feeding position and each slidingly engaged by interfitting portions with a neighboring feeder, each feeder being such that when moved into its feeding position it will not bring its yarn close enough to the needles for the latter to take the yarn unaided, and a yarn-projector which is associated with and is operated in synchronism with the feeders, is movable towards and away from the needles in a path that is transverse to the lengths of the needles and which when moved towards the needles at a time when a feeder is brought to the feeding position will engage the yarn of that feeder at a position between the trapper and the feeder and will locate it so that it can be taken by the needles.

In testimony whereof I afiix my si HENRY HAROLD HOL ature. ES. 

